Welcome to the T&TH site. It's a great place and I know you'll enjoy it here.

You've asked a very good question. I have bumped a bird off the roost when walking in the woods, very early, in the near dark and I'm sure he did not know what I was but just decided to get out of there. If I'm correct in that assumption and that's all that it is, there's no reason he would not roost in that tree again. I've certainly seen them roost in the same area after being bumped.

I think we all make assumptions about turkey behavior based on the experiences we've had. There may be others who've had very different experiences than I've had and maybe they'll share those with all of us.

Thanks,
Clark

"If he's out of range, it just means that he has another day and so do you."

Whatever factored into the turkeys selecting the trees to roost in to begin with will draw them back in the future. They may not roost there again that night, but a good roost will remain that way despite the occasional disturbance.

Where I hunt in Missouri, they like to roost in the cottonwoods along the creek. I've bumped many a bird there over the years trying to gain ground on gobbling toms and it is still their preferred area. Here in Michigan they like tall pines for shelter from the elements, especially in late fall and winter. I've flushed them a few times unintentionally while still hunting for deer and it's still their favorite roost area.

GO STATE !!!

"The joy of living is his, who has the heart to demand it." Teddy Roosevelt

Great question!! In my opinion, I think it depends on the species of bird. I have seen Rio's that will return to the same roost but I have never witnessed a Merriam to do that. Not sure about any other species, but these two I have spooked off the roost several times...LOL.

My flocks move roosts frequently, usually as the weather changes. Let's say you bump a flock off the roost just ahead of a warm front. They may not be back on that roost the next night, but by the time the next warm front comes through, they'll be back.

On the other hand, and this goes more for public land, if you keep knocking those birds off a given roost they will eventually move on. A couple of bumps aren't going to seriously affect them, but if you keep scaring them they will move away and stay away for some time. I had this happen one year when turkeys took to roosting on one of my ladder stands. It took about 4 times, knocking birds off before they stayed away permanently. You have no idea how scary it is to come up a ladder and have birds sitting on your seat and on the hand rail and all bust at the same time. I thought I was gonna die! You also have no idea how much of a mess turkeys will make on your ladder stand if they roost on it-- BLEEECH!

The bird never came back to roost on that ladder that year, nor any year thereafter. Furthermore, I have half a dozen of these ladder stands on the property and the turkeys have never roosted on any other ladder stand since, going on 8 years. I think the turkeys sent around a memo.